A former MI5 chief was dragged into a Brexit row last night amid claims he had changed his mind over whether Britain was safer inside the EU.

No 10 hailed an intervention from Jonathan Evans, along with ex-MI6 chief Sir John Sawers, in which the two men said in an article that leaving would hamper ‘our ability to protect ourselves’ from terrorists.

The pair added that the UK benefited from sharing information with fellow EU countries and a vote for Out on June 23 could trigger instability on the continent.

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Defence Committee chairman Julian Lewis (left) accused David Cameron (right) of manipulating spy chiefs into warning that Britain's security would be put at risk if we quit the EU

But Tory MP Julian Lewis, a former member of Westminster’s intelligence and security committee, said he had met Lord Evans in Westminster’s Portcullis House less than a month ago – and been given a different story.

Dr Lewis, who has known Lord Evans for many years and is now chairman of the Commons defence committee, questioned whether the Government machine was guilty of manipulation.

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He added: ‘I was quite impressed by the fact that although he told me he was in favour of remaining in the EU, it would make no difference to our security.

'I am very surprised and rather disappointed to see this article has appeared. I find it rather difficult to believe he has changed his mind in such a short period of time.’

Dr Lewis, an Out campaigner who stressed he was speaking in a personal capacity, added: ‘I can only wonder if there’s some sort of manipulation going on here.’

Two ex-spying chiefs warned today that staying in the EU was the safer option for protecting Britain against terror attacks, such as the deadly blasts witnessed in Paris (pictured) and Brussels over the last six months

Ex-MI6 director Sir John Sawers (pictured on the Andrew Marr Show this morning) and Sir John Sawers, the former MI6 chief said the UK benefited from sharing information with fellow EU countries and leaving the Brussels club would trigger 'instability on the Continent

Justice Secretary Michael Gove (pictured on the Andrew Marr Show) directly contradicted the intelligence experts by insisting this morning that Britain would be safer outside the EU

MAJORITY OF SCOTS WILL VOTE FOR BREXIT, GOVE PREDICTS

Michael Gove told Andrew Marr this morning: 'When we vote to leave I think a majority of people in Scotland will also vote to leave as well'

A majority of people in Scotland will vote to leave the European Union, leading Brexit campaigner Michael Gove has predicted.

The Edinburgh-born Conservative MP, co-convener of the Vote Leave campaign committee, dismissed suggestions that Scotland is less Eurosceptic than the rest of the UK and that Scots will back independence if the UK leaves the EU.

The Tory Justice Secretary also erroneously claimed that there 'there wasn't a Scottish nationalist MP elected at any general election when we were outside the EU'.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Mr Gove said: 'When we vote to leave I think a majority of people in Scotland will also vote to leave as well.

'And I think when we vote to leave it will be clear that having voted to leave one union the last thing the people of Scotland will want to do is to break up another.

'The economic basis on which Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish nationalists made the case for separation was based on an oil price much higher than it is at the moment so there will be no case for it.'

He added: 'If we vote to leave then I think the (United Kingdom) union will be stronger.

'Scottish nationalism has grown since we entered the European Union.

'There wasn't a Scottish nationalist MP elected at any general election when we were outside the EU.

'Secondly, the SNP has been checked. Nicola Sturgeon is not mistress in her own house any more, she does not have a majority.

'Ruth Davidson led the Scottish Conservatives to a storming result on the basis that there should not be a second referendum.'

He repeatedly avoided the question of whether the UK Government should block another independence referendum if the SNP tries to stage a re-run in the event of a Brexit.

Pressed on the issue, he said: 'I don't believe that there is a need for one, and Ruth Davidson has said that there is no need for one. I agree with Ruth.'

Donald Stewart was the first SNP MP returned in a general election when he won in the Western Isles in 1970, over two years before Conservative prime minister Edward Heath took the UK into the European Economic Community (EEC) in January 1973.

The SNP scored two previous wins in by-elections in 1945 and 1967, and its biggest pre-devolution success came in 1974 when it stood on a policy of withdrawal from the EEC in both general elections that year.

However, in a statement last night, Lord Evans denied his views had changed since his meeting with Dr Lewis.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘As John Sawers made clear this morning the initiative for the article that was published today came from a conversation between the two of us in February, not from any political quarter.

'The article reflects views I have held and expressed for some time. John Sawers and I remain politically neutral.’

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, both leading Out campaigners, dismissed the intervention by the two spy chiefs.

Mr Johnson said: ‘Well, that’s total nonsense and lots of people will testify to that.

‘The [information] sharing that is done is not a function of the EU – that was always done inter-governmentally anyway and most of our important security work is done between the Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders.’

Speaking on LBC Radio, he added: 'One of the difficulties people have within the Schengen group, and why it's now under such pressure, is that people can move rapidly across these frontiers and some very bad people are exploiting that.

'That's why we should be able to make use of our borders more systematically to fight those enemies.'

Mr Gove said the European Court of Justice was endangering Britain’s national security and he proposed emergency laws after a Brexit vote to take the UK out of its jurisdiction.

Dismissing Sir John’s warnings, he pointed out that other experts, including former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove and ex-Interpol boss Ron Noble, had issued warnings about the EU’s ‘open borders’ policy.

He added: ‘I have enormous respect for Sir John and his tradition of public service, but he is flat wrong.

‘I’m the Justice Secretary, I know that the European criminal records information system doesn’t allow us to know whether or not criminals come into this country.

‘We only find out whether or not people have criminal records after they have already committed an offence in this country. It is a gossamer-thin protection.’

But Sir John told the BBC: ‘It’s not just about the day-to-day co-operation, it’s about the wider stability of our continent.

‘We are only secure because wider Europe is secure.

‘Pulling out will make it more dangerous. There is a real risk of the pressures on the European Union – migration pressure, economic pressures, pressures from Russia – pulling the European Union apart.’

As the EU campaign intensifies following the conclusion of the local election campaigns last week, health chiefs also warned today of the risks of leaving the EU, while economists claimed the EU had had added £1,800 to workers' salaries since the start of the single market in 1986.

Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, along with 92 other leading life sciences figures, set out the case for the Remain campaign for the sector in a letter to the Observer.

They warned that Brexit would limit our access to new new medicines more quickly and stands to benefit from continued investment in 'cutting-edge science' if the UK votes to remain.

Sir John Sawers (ex-director of MI6, right) told the Andrew Marr Show Britain must stay in to protect our national security, saying: 'It's not just about the day-to-day co-operation, it's about the wider stability of our continent. We are only secure because the wider Europe is secure'

David Cameron tweeted this morning saying Lord Evans and Sir John Sawers had given an 'important message' about the threat to national security but he was immediately accused by one of his own MPs of orchestrating their intervention to boost the Remain campaign

Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, along with 92 other leading life sciences figures, sets out the case for the Remain campaign for the sector in a letter to the Observer.

The life sciences industry employs more than 222,000 people across the UK and attracts high levels of investment.

BREXIT WOULD BAR ACCESS TO KEY MEDICINES, HEALTH EXPERTS WARN

Staying in the EU gives us greater access to new medicines, industry experts warn today

Staying in the EU would mean Britons are able to access new medicines more quickly, top health industry leaders have warned.

The UK also stands to benefit from continued investment in 'cutting-edge science' if the UK votes to remain, it had been claimed.

Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, along with 92 other leading life sciences figures, sets out the case for the Remain campaign for the sector in a letter to the Observer.

The life sciences industry employs more than 222,000 people across the UK and attracts high levels of investment.

Sir Andrew claims it would benefit staying in the EU saying it would 'enable the sector to continue to operate within an established and harmonised regulatory approval system, ensuring that UK patients benefit from medicines more quickly, and that medicines researched and manufactured in the UK are available across the EU sooner'.

The signatories to the letter, who include executives from AstraZeneca and Pfizer, say that Brexit would mean 'added complexity and uncertainty' which is bad for business and research.

Overall they claim a vote to remain would be better for both the 'health and wealth' of the UK.

The letter states: 'Continued UK membership of the EU will also benefit scientific activity and R&D jobs. UK researchers and small businesses will continue to benefit from access to EU funding and from collaborations with cutting-edge science across the continent.

'This will help the UK to continue to attract investment for the R&D activities that will help to discover and develop the next generation of treatments for cancer, respiratory disease and Alzheimer's, and to continue pioneering work in new vaccines and antibiotics.'

Sir Andrew claims it would benefit staying in the EU saying it would 'enable the sector to continue to operate within an established and harmonised regulatory approval system, ensuring that UK patients benefit from medicines more quickly, and that medicines researched and manufactured in the UK are available across the EU sooner'.

The signatories to the letter, who include executives from AstraZeneca and Pfizer, say that Brexit would mean 'added complexity and uncertainty' which is bad for business and research.

Overall they claim a vote to remain would be better for both the 'health and wealth' of the UK.

The letter states: 'Continued UK membership of the EU will also benefit scientific activity and R&D jobs. UK researchers and small businesses will continue to benefit from access to EU funding and from collaborations with cutting-edge science across the continent.

'This will help the UK to continue to attract investment for the R&D activities that will help to discover and develop the next generation of treatments for cancer, respiratory disease and Alzheimer's, and to continue pioneering work in new vaccines and antibiotics.'

Meanwhile, research by Frontier Economics for the business lobby group London First, concluded that EU membership had boosted trade which in turn led to higher productivity and pay rates.

The findings suggest that around 29 per cent of real wage growth from 1986 to 2014 is associated with EU membership.

'This implies that average real wages across the UK were £1,800 higher than would otherwise have been if the UK had not been part of the EU,' the report said.

The figure in the capital could be as high as £3,100, the report suggested.

'Conservatively assuming that the impact on trade creation from the EU has been similar for London as it has been across the UK, and the responsiveness of productivity to trade openness is the same in London as it is across the UK, the estimated impact of EU membership has been to raise London wages by £3,100 on average,' the report said.

Will Higham, campaign director at London First, said: 'Our EU membership has helped Britain makes a real difference to the size of people's pay packets. Throwing away our EU membership could harm exporters and would certainly make us a less attractive to global companies seeking to invest in London.

'This would have a worrying knock-on effect on the rest of the country and there would be an inevitable downward effect on salaries.'

Brexit campaigners have claimed that wages could rise if the UK quits the EU, because controls on immigration could stop workers from the EU competing with Britons for jobs.

Lord Rose, the head of Remain campaign Britain Stronger In Europe acknowledged to MPs that wages for low-skilled workers could go up if the UK left the EU.

He told the Treasury Select Committee in March: 'If you are short of labour the price will ... go up, so yes. That's not necessarily a good thing.'

The EU has boosted our wages by 1,800 since 1986, claim economists

The research, by Frontier Economics for the business lobby group London First, concluded that EU membership had boosted trade which in turn led to higher productivity and pay rates

Membership of the European Union has added £1,800 to workers' salaries, researchers have claimed.

The research, by Frontier Economics for the business lobby group London First, concluded that EU membership had boosted trade which in turn led to higher productivity and pay rates.

The findings suggest that around 29 per cent of real wage growth from 1986 to 2014 is associated with EU membership.

'This implies that average real wages across the UK were £1,800 higher than would otherwise have been if the UK had not been part of the EU,' the report said.

The figure in the capital could be as high as £3,100, the report suggested.

'Conservatively assuming that the impact on trade creation from the EU has been similar for London as it has been across the UK, and the responsiveness of productivity to trade openness is the same in London as it is across the UK, the estimated impact of EU membership has been to raise London wages by £3,100 on average,' the report said.

Will Higham, campaign director at London First, said: 'Our EU membership has helped Britain makes a real difference to the size of people's pay packets. Throwing away our EU membership could harm exporters and would certainly make us a less attractive to global companies seeking to invest in London.

George Osborne (pictured on the Peston on Sunday show this morning) claimed leaving the EU would hit house prices and hike up mortgages

'This would have a worrying knock-on effect on the rest of the country and there would be an inevitable downward effect on salaries.'

Brexit campaigners have claimed that wages could rise if the UK quits the EU, because controls on immigration could stop workers from the EU competing with Britons for jobs.

Lord Rose, the head of Remain campaign Britain Stronger In Europe acknowledged to MPs that wages for low-skilled workers could go up if the UK left the EU.

He told the Treasury Select Committee in March: 'If you are short of labour the price will ... go up, so yes. That's not necessarily a good thing.'

Brexit would cause a 'major hit' to house prices and hike up mortgages for first-time buyers, George Osborne warns

House prices would be dealt a hammer blow and mortgages would be hiked up if Britain leaves the EU, George Osborne claimed today as he stepped up his warnings over Brexit.

The Chancellor clashed with his Tory colleague and close friend Michael Gove on the airwaves this morning as the EU campaign once again took centre stage following last week's elections.

Mr Osborne said the 'significant hit' to the value of homes was the 'kind of economic impact' that would result from leaving the EU.

George Osborne (left) opted not to wear a tie on the debut Peston on Sunday show this morning as he took a swipe at his Tory Cabinet colleague Michael Gove (right) over his admission that the UK would leave the EU's single market after a Brexit vote on June 23

And he pounced on Mr Gove's admission minutes before that Britain would leave the EU's single market following an Out vote in the June 23 referendum, saying exiting the market would be 'an absolutely catastrophic economic mistake for our country'.

The Chancellor also revealed that the Treasury is working on another document that will assess the impact on the housing market from a Brexit vote.

He said the evidence he had seen from the document backed up research from banks that leaving the EU would deal a 'significant shock' to the housing market the cost of mortgages.

Mr Osborne and Mr Gove exchanged blows this morning as security chiefs warned Britain's naitonal security would be undermined if we quit the EU.

Lord Evans, ex-director of MI5 and Sir John Sawers, the former MI6 chief said the UK benefited from sharing information with fellow EU countries and leaving the Brussels club would trigger 'instability on the Continent.

But Julian Lewis, chairman of the Defence Committee, made the remarkable accusation that Downing Street had manipulated their intervention.

He revealed that Lord Evans had told him privately that the UK's security would not be at risk if Britain left the EU.

George Osborne (left) told Robert Peston (right) on ITV this morning that a Brexit vote would cause a 'significant hit' to the housing market and would also hike up mortgages

Mr Osborne, asked whether house prices will fall if voters back Brexit in June's EU vote, told the debut Peston on Sunday show on ITV this morning: 'I'm pretty clear that there will be a significant hit to the value of people's homes and to the cost of mortgages.

'That is one example of the kind of impact, economic impact, that we get form leaving the EU. And you have today the leave campaigners saying we would leave the single market.

'I mean, for me, that is an absolutely catastrophic economic mistake for our country and, you know, if you're working in a car plant in the North East of England, if you're working in a call centre in Bournemouth for a bank, if you're in any of these businesses that rely on being able to trade into this enormous market on our doorstep, you will be affected by that in a very bad way.'

Giving an early preview of a new Treasury analysis on the economic impacts of Brexit, Mr Osborne added: 'It's already clear from the Treasury analysis that for example, there would a significant shock to the housing market, that would hit the value of people's homes, that would hit the cost of mortgages', he said.

'We're doing the work on it now but the emerging Treasury analysis backs up what you are hearing from major banks like Virgin Money that the value of people's homes will be affected and people trying to get on the housing market would be hit because mortgage costs would go up.'

He added: 'I'm pretty clear that there would be a significant hit to the value of people's homes and to the cost of mortgages, that is one example of the kind of economic impact that we get from leaving the EU.'